Brandon Phillips: Addicted to Twitter

Reds second baseman enjoys interacting with fans

I love Twitter. I love being able to talk to the fans and letting them know the type of person that I am. It's cool to be able to communicate with a large number of fans. I'm able to talk to fans in Cincinnati and many fans that may not necessarily be in the area. I like being able to reach out to people all over the country. That's a good thing.

I don't know if I'm the perfect person for Twitter, but I sure enjoy using it. I just try to be who I really am. I just try to be the same person I am off the field that I appear to be on the field. That's all I can really do.

I think I've sent out more than 3,000 tweets. I tweet about everything. I tweet about what I'm doing, and I tweet about what I'm eating. I tweet about what I see, and I tweet whatever comes to mind. When you follow me on Twitter, you are really following me and the Reds. My teammates do a great job of helping me out with it.

I will tweet anything I am able to -- video, words, pictures -- everything. That's what it's about for me. I want to share everything.

My sister is the one who brought Twitter to my attention. I really got into it, though, after talking to NFL wide receiver Chad Ochocinco. Many people see you on TV and at the ballpark, but they may not necessarily know the type of person you are. Then there are people who may not know much about you as a player, either, because you play in a small market like Cincinnati.

I follow a ton of people on Twitter. I like to read what they're all saying. It's cool to read the people who are following me and the others that I follow.

The only thing I would have to say negative about Twitter is that I can't always say exactly what's on my mind. I represent Major League Baseball, and I have to respect that. I also have a family and have to realize that I represent them, too. In short, I have to keep the stuff PG-13 for the most part.

Overall, I have to put MLB and the Cincinnati Reds above anything that I may want to say or think on Twitter. But it's all good.

All-Star second baseman Brandon Phillips batted .300 in 2011, the best mark of his career. He also hit at least 18 homers for the fifth straight season.

This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.